RCN-UBE Incubator: Project Leadership - Embedding Inclusive Leadership Experiences in the STEM Classroom

Increased diversity of leaders is needed to support innovative teams capable of solving complex problems at the interface of science and society. However, the diversity of STEM leadership positions does not yet represent the diversity of the country’s population. To support diverse student leadership development the RCN-UBE Incubator will take steps to build a network of collaborators supporting the implementation of the Project Leadership Program (PL).

PL supports workforce development through three structured components: an interactive web-based app called Project Leadership, active engagement of student teams, and supportive instructor coaching related to skill development and constructive feedback. PL builds on established pedagogical approaches of collaborative learning, active learning, and metacognition.

While using the app, students learn about leadership skills, select a skill to focus on while carrying out a team role, and receive constructive peer feedback. Through leadership and teamwork development, students are anticipated to gain a greater sense of belonging, which supports student persistence and retention in STEM fields. The ability of PL to guide students in leadership skills is expected to benefit society by creating a pool of diverse and inclusive STEM leaders.

During this RCN-UBE Incubator, the goal of the network is to create open-access materials, guidelines, and resources to develop the PL platform for a diverse community of educators across the country. Network members will review current literature and attend leadership conferences to identify how leadership definitions and descriptions can be developed to promote inclusion in STEM leadership.

The steering committee will adapt published assessment tools for measuring student leadership development, pilot PL at diverse institutions, and prepare a full RCN-UBE proposal. By piloting PL, the network members will be prepared to support future users of PL and to work towards embedding PL in a variety of STEM courses at different institutions. Through this work, the network will support development of the PL platform for nationwide use.

This project is being jointly funded by the Directorate for Biological Sciences, Division of Biological Infrastructure, and the Directorate for STEM Education, Division of Undergraduate Education as part of their efforts to address the challenges posed in Vision and Change in Undergraduate Biology Education: A Call to Action (http://visionandchange/finalreport/).

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.